The First
by Elil Galia
Summary: CHAPTER 10 is up! FINAL CHAPTER I get to the last chapter and can't think of a summary. If you want to know what happens you'll just have to read it. Sorry for the lame ending.....
1. The First

Disclaimer: I don't own anything - it all belongs to Tolkien.  
  
  
  
Begins in Lothlorien.  
  
Chapter 1 - The First  
  
The Fellowship spent several carefree days and restful nights in Lothlorien, and all expected peace to remain with them until they passed through into darkness once more. However, on the fifth night, Frodo awoke to the shouts of elves. He did not understand the words that passed between them and sought out Legolas, that he may translate. The hobbit found Legolas on a boulder, listening to the talk of those around him. "What is it?" Frodo asked, and Legolas looked down at him, frowning. "Someone has passed the guards." Frodo cried out in dismay. "Is that possible? I thought Lothlorien was safe, protected." Legolas lifted his head again. "They do not know what manner of creature it is, but it is no orc." He leapt down lightly from the boulder and ran off towards the shouts. "Stay with Aragorn." He called back, and disappeared into the trees. Frodo went back and relayed what he had learned to Aragorn, who looked troubled by the news of an intruder in Lothlorien. "What are we to do?" Merry asked, looking up at Aragorn hopefully. "We should wait." The ranger replied, and Boromir laughed scornfully. "Wait? For what? To be slaughtered while we wait for elves to protect us?" Gimli was on his feet instantly, axe in hand. "Elves can protect us a damn sight more than you, Boromir." He growled, his fingers curling tightly around the axe handle. "Really?" Boromir stepped forward menacingly. "And what would a dwarf know of protection, when they cannot defend even their own mines?" Gimli let out a cry of rage and raised his axe. Legolas stepped between them and pushed Gimli's arm down. "Do not fight here friend. The intruder is found." He turned to Aragorn. "We are summoned to the chamber of Lady Galadriel." Merry, Pippin and Sam stood up and Legolas shook his head. "Lady Galadriel asks only for Frodo and Aragorn." Sam sat down again, looking forlorn, and Gimli patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Do not worry little ones, Gimli's axe will keep you safe." He glared at Boromir, who ignored his pointed comment.  
  
Frodo followed Legolas up a set of stone stairs with Aragorn behind him. They walked in silence, under the shadows of the trees until they reached the lights of the chamber of Galadriel and Celeborn. Inside, Haldir stood before the lord and lady, holding a silver knife at the throat of a person cloaked in black. "Come." Lady Galadriel bade them sit beside her. Frodo didn't take his eyes off the black figure, which lifted a hand and gingerly touched the blade at it's throat. There was a blur of movement and suddenly Haldir's own knife was pressed against his own throat. "De ni ar di." The figure purred and Lady Galadriel closed her eyes. "I will be heard." She whispered softly, and gestured to the person to release Haldir. The person gave Haldir back his knife and bowed before the lord and lady. "Tenin Celyn dar y Hae." The figure lowered their hood and lifted their eyes to Galadriel. Frodo stared, enchanted by the light that shone on the skin of the girl before them. Beside him, Legolas gasped. "Dar y Hae." He repeated quietly. The girl turned to him, and Legolas found himself looking into eyes as blue as the heart of a star. Celeborn cleared his throat, breaking the spell, and Celyn dar y Hae turned back to him. "The First are gone." He said clearly and Celyn nodded. The movement caused her hair to fall from beneath her cloak revealing a silver plait streaked with gold. "She is of the First." Galadriel stated calmly. "Who are the First?" Frodo asked Legolas, who became dreamy. "The First were the first race of elves. They were the fairest and wisest of all elves, and of them all other elves are born." "Wow." Frodo breathed. Aragorn frowned. "I thought they had all died." Legolas shrugged. "No- one knows what happened to them." "What happened to the First, Celyn?" Galadriel asked silkily. Celyn's eyes clouded over and she bowed her head. When she spoke, her voice was like elemental music. The words were of a tongue so old that only Galadriel learned what had passed. She repeated the words to all present:  
  
"U um mar y sef dar hahle." "We came with the dawn of time."  
  
"U um te y nate." "We came from the light."  
  
"Ar u ut y hae." "And we were the first."  
  
"Te ek yasu um deta tol." "From our blood comes everlasting life."  
  
"Ek laida ra ma yvenya." "Our children are your forefathers."  
  
"Ota u ut tala se fide." "But we were not all good."  
  
"Det nuk ek nate." "Darkness corrupted our light."  
  
"Il dar ek yasu um y det ane." "And of our blood come the dark ones."  
  
"Y yruk." "The orcs."  
  
"De ka dala ek nuk bod lita y sade dar y hae." "I was not home when they stormed the house of the first."  
  
"Il nuk de mahet ek bod ut hica." "And when I returned home they were gone."  
  
"Bod liek tyde il bena asut." "They killed everyone and destroyed everything."  
  
"Tenin y baen dar y hae." "I am the last of the First."  
  
The company of Galadriel was silent as they took in the fate of the First. "Why were you not there when the orcs came?" Celeborn asked, the word orc spoken with hatred. Celyn smiled brightly.  
  
"Tenin laku berd." "I was hunting deer."  
  
Frodo could not take his eyes from the beautiful elf before him. Her story was touching, tragic, and still she could smile. Haldir laughed musically, breaking the silence. "What is so funny?" Aragorn asked sharply, seeing how Frodo had jumped at the sound. "SHE was hunting! A girl!" Celyn walked toward him, dropping her cloak as she did so. Beneath she wore black trousers and a dark green shirt. Instead of the light shoes that elves normally wore, Celyn wore high boots, similar to those of Aragorns. Smiling, she reached out and took the knife from Haldir's belt and handed it to him. She drew a knife of her own from a sheath strapped to her thigh and dropped into a ready stance.  
  
"Kali so va ma qaid alin juk y baen dar y hae." "Let us see how you fare against the last of the first."  
  
Celyn held her knife loosely, the blade pointed down. Haldir looked to Celeborn for command and he nodded. "Go ahead." Haldir gripped his own knife tightly and slashed forward and up, a move that would have gutted Celyn had she not stepped back lightly. She moved gracefully, full of hidden energy, like a coiled snake. Everyone watched breathlessly as Celyn darted forward and struck a blow that Haldir only just managed to block. She danced backward as he attacked again, raised her foot and kicked the knife from his hand. She caught it, moved forward and pressed both blades against his throat. "Not bad for a girl." Haldir panted, and accepted the knife that Celyn pressed into his hand. Legolas applauded her and Celyn turned and bowed, her plait falling forward over her shoulder. When she spoke again, everyone present heard her words in their heads and hearts, and all understood. "I found the orcs that killed my people and I killed them. But it was too late, for they had already spawned more.." Galadriel heard guilt and shame in the statement and smiled pleasantly. "It is not your fault, all that has come to pass. Even if you had slain all orcs, there would have been other dark creatures for Sauron to bend to his will." Frodo shivered at the mention of the dark wizard whose ring he bore and a cold wind blew through the chamber. "What is your purpose in Lothlorien?" Celeborn demanded, not as willing to accept Celyn as an ally as his peers. "I wish to protect the ringbearer. I have seen many dark things which threaten his life, and I, along with too few, know the true power of Sauron." Celeborn looked at his wife and unspoken words passed between them. Frodo watched the lord and lady as they decided the fate of Celyn. Legolas and Aragron were both impressed by the skill she had shown in the fight with Haldir, and both hoped that she would be allowed to remain with them and join the fellowship. Galadriel caught everyone's attention by laughing softly at something Celeborn had said. Her eyes met Frodo's, and he heard her voice in his head. "What is your wish ringbearer?" Frodo's face took on a look of intense concentration as he considered. I want to keep her. He thought, and Galadriel nodded. "So it shall be." Celyn was stood with her arms folded across her stomach, her head bowed and eyes closed. "Celyn dar y Hae." Celyn lifted her head and focused on Galadriel, who smiled gracefully. "You may remain in Lothlorien. The fellowship has suffered a loss, yet it shall be nine once again." Celyn bowed. "De adai qaid." I thank you. Galadriel laughed and turned to Aragorn. "Aragorn, it is Frodo's wish that Celyn dar y Hae remains with the fellowship. Take her now and welcome her warmly, for you will need her skill on the road ahead." Legolas smiled down at Frodo and ruffled the curls on the hobbit's head. Celyn bent to pick her cloak, sword and a fallen quiver of arrows up, and her gaze lingered on Galadriel's face. "Come Celyn." Legolas called from the entrance and she turned and followed him. 


	2. The Journey On

Chapter 2 - The Journey On  
  
Boromir looked up expectantly as Aragorn came back down the stone stair. "Well?" He demanded. "Where and what is the intruder?" Frodo and Legolas stood aside to reveal Celyn. Moonlight penetrated the treetops for a moment and bathed her in silver light. Her skin and hair seemed to glow, and her eyes danced and sparkled. She looked at Boromir and he trembled under her penetrating gaze. "It is an angel." Gimli breathed and Celyn laughed in delight. "I thank you for your kind words, Master dwarf, but I am just an elf." It was Legolas' turn to laugh. "Just an elf!" The sounds of conversation reached Merry, Pippin and Sam, who had been eating supper in a hollow not far off, and they rejoined the group. "Whose this?" Pippin asked in surprise. "This, young Pippin, is Celyn." Aragorn spoke her name with respect and Celyn blushed. "She is joining us, Pip." Frodo told his friend and sniffed the air. "Do I smell bacon?" He asked and Sam nodded. "Let us all eat." Legolas proposed and all agreed. Boromir hung back to speak with Aragorn as Celyn went with the hobbits, dwarf and elf to the hollow. "How do we know we can trust her, Aragorn?" Aragorn studied Boromir's earnest face. He had noticed the depth of Celyn's gaze, which made you feel as if she could see through you. He had also seen how Boromir had trembled when the gaze was upon him. Laughter caught his attention and he glanced toward the hollow. "Let us eat before there is nothing left." He said swiftly, ignoring the question. Celyn was sat with the hobbits and Gimli, telling them how Haldir had caught her and of her clash with him before Galadriel and Celeborn. "Not bad for a girl." She purred, repeating his words. Gimli laughed heartily as he took a drink of wine supplied by the lord and lady. A faint breeze stirred the trees and Celyn fastened her cloak around her shoulders, uncovering her sword. Legolas picked it up, for he did not know many elves skilled with a sword, and slid it from it's sheath. The blade was long and curved, like a stretched out 's.' Symbols were carved upon it and the hilt was set with jewels. "What does that mean?" Merry asked, peering over Legolas' shoulder at the blade. "I do not know. It is elvish writing, but it must be of old for I cannot make out a single word." Pippin and Frodo looked at the sword too, impressed by it's beauty. Sam joined the group around the sword, and this caught Boromir's attention. "Conspiring against us, little friends?" He asked playfully. "No," Pippin replied quickly. "Of course not." He stepped back and Gimli saw Legolas holding a sword. His eyes shone as he stepped forward and plucked the blade from Legolas' hand. "Is it true? A sword of mithril?" Celyn nodded, smiling at the dwarf's delight. "It is so, Gimli son of Gloin. Mithril carved with the sacred runes of the First." "What do they say?" Aragorn asked, also looking at the sword. Celyn blushed. "It is just a sword." She replied, embarrassed by the attention that she was receiving. Aragorn shook his head. He drew Andúril and held it for her to see. Celyn opened her mouth to speak and found nothing to say. She looked into Aragorn's eyes. "A sword is never just a sword." He stated firmly. Shaking herself, Celyn looked down at her own sword. With slender fingers she traced the runes which glowed golden in the starlight. "A light from the light to cut back the dark." Boromir looked at the sword and turned his nose up. "A pleasant distraction, granted, but when are we leaving? I have much desire in my heart to start moving again, for Minas Tirith cannot wait forever for my return." Aragorn looked around. "I see no reason why we cannot leave tomorrow." That agreed, Boromir went off on his own to sleep. The hobbits finished their meal and settled down to sleep also. Gimli took a whetting stone from his pack and began to sharpen his axe. Aragorn stared thoughtfully into the fire and Legolas climbed a tree to sleep. Celyn rested her head on her knees and closed her eyes. She lifted her head, hearing footsteps, and saw Aragorn pacing back and forth. She laughed lightly. "Rest Aragorn son of Arathorn. Tomorrow will be a long day." Heeding her advice, Aragorn walked to the other sleepers and joined them in slumber. Celyn moved closer to the fire and closer to Gimli. "Do you not sleep Master Gimli?" "An axe does not sharpen itself. However, I shall retire soon." "A fine axe it is too." Gimli looked into the eyes of the fair elf maiden and put his axe down. "May I see your sword once again? I have not seen mithril for many years." Celyn passed him the sword and stood up. "I will leave it in your care while I rest. Sleep well Master Gimli." Celyn climbed a nearby tree and Gimli was left alone. He studied the metal in the flickering light of the fire. Mithril did not easily tarnish or wear, and it was difficult to guess how old the sword was, but it was well cared for. Satisfied, Gimli returned the sword to the sheath, put out the fire and dreamed of the days when Khazad-dûm was still a place of glorious beauty.  
  
When dawn came Aragorn awoke and roused the others. He called Legolas down from his tree and sent him to Lady Galadriel to inform her of their departure. The company ate a hearty breakfast and were ready to leave only a few hours later. Galadriel and Celeborn came to them with food and clothing for their journey, as well as gifts for each of them. It was a long and painful goodbye, none of the company wished to leave Lothlorien, for it was heaven compared to the road that lay ahead. The lord and lady went with them to the gate through which they were to leave and wished them luck. With heavy hearts, the nine members of the new fellowship left Lothlorien and began to walk the long road South. Aragorn led the way, followed closely by Boromir, with the hobbits and Gimli in the middle and Legolas and Celyn bringing up the rear. The elves talked of many things, and Celyn asked many questions about Mirkwood. Legolas was glad to talk of his home, although it stirred within him a longing to see his family once again. They covered many miles and the sun was past noon when Aragorn allowed them to rest. He disappeared in search of water and returned a short time later with the news that a clean stream ran ten minutes walk from their camp. Celyn went with the hobbits so that they could fill their flasks, and she dipped her hands in the cool stream, washing her face. The hobbits bathed their aching feet and then returned to the camp. For the first time, Frodo was able to talk to Celyn and he spoke fondly of the Shire, good food, Rivendell and Bilbo. After an hour they began to walk again, and at nightfall the stopped at the edge of a forest. "Who will take first watch?" Gimli asked and Aragorn volunteered. Everyone else lay down to sleep and Aragorn stared out into the darkness around them. When his watch was over he woke Boromir, who in turn woke Legolas. Legolas was checking his arrows when he was a shadow moved in front of him and he raised his bow. "Who passes here?" He hissed and Celyn stepped forward. "I have no need of sleep and I did not want to disturb others with my restlessness." She sat on the ground beside him, picking up an arrow. The metal head was cool in her hand, the point sharp. "They are good arrows." Legolas nodded his agreement. "They have killed many orcs." There was no fire that night, for fear of making themselves targets, but still Celyn seemed to glow. Her blue eyes shone as she leaned back on her elbows and looked into the sky. "The star of Varda is bright tonight." Legolas also leaned back to look. Celyn was so close that he could feel the warmth of her body and his skin tingled as excitement surged through him. A flash of light crossed the sky as a shooting star sailed above their heads. "Did you see that?" She turned to face him and he moved his head forward. Their lips met briefly and they jumped apart as Gimli came up behind them to cover the watch. Celyn smirked slightly as she stood up. "Goodnight Legolas." She turned and climbed a tree, but Legolas stayed beside the fire with Gimli. "You like her, my friend?" The dwarf asked and Legolas grinned wistfully. "Yes." "She likes you too." Gimli observed. "I can tell by the way she looks at you." Legolas chuckled softly. "No, dwarf, she looks at everyone in that way." Gimli shook his head. "No, really. I know these things." He spied the longing on the elf's face, even in the darkness. Legolas sat with Gimli a while longer before going to a tree himself. Hobbits preferred to be on the ground, and dwarves under it, but for an elf there was no greater resting place than a tree. 


	3. A Harrowing Battle

Chapter 3 - A Harrowing Battle  
  
The next morning they set off early and by the second night Lothlorien was fifty leagues behind them, through miles of forest and over hill and dale. Boromir took first watch, and the company had only been asleep a short while when his cries caused them to wake. "Orcs!" He shouted, his sword in hand. Frodo drew his own sword, Sting, and the blade burned like blue fire.  
  
The orcs ran at them, coming from the East, and Legolas slowed the first wave with his arrows. Celyn also shot at them with a bow, but quickly abandoned it for her sword. The mithril blade clashed against the ragged blade of an orc and snapped it. The orc snarled in surprise before falling to the ground without it's head.  
  
Aragorn wielded Andúril with deadly precision and killed seven orcs without breaking a sweat. Gimli swung his axe wildly and hacked many of his enemies to pieces.  
  
Merry and Pippin defended themselves with little trouble, but Sam and Frodo were trapped, caught in a circle of eight orcs.  
  
Celyn ran to their aide and landed in the middle of the circle. An orc growled and slashed at her with it's sword.  
  
Blood spilled as Frodo used Sting to cut the hand holding the sword off and Sam stabbed another in the knee. It let out a cry of pain and grabbed at him, lifting him by the hair.  
  
Celyn stabbed it in the heart and it dropped Sam, who landed with a thud. Four orcs had fallen, but the remaining four were joined by more.  
  
"Aragorn, Boromir!" She cried. "The halflings have need of your swords."  
  
Aragorn joined them and the circle was broken. Frodo was half carried, half dragged away by one of the largest orcs he had ever seen, and he shouted for help.  
  
Legolas killed the orc with an arrow and went back to defending Merry and Pippin.  
  
Celyn bent to pull her sword out of one of the dead creatures when another came up behind her and plunged it's sword between her shoulder blades. She ran it through with her own sword, and it landed heavily against her, pushing the sword out through her chest. She whimpered in pain and fell.  
  
Rain began to pound down around them and lightning split the sky.  
  
Celyn screamed, and the remaining orcs fell down dead.  
  
Through their shock, the others noticed that Celyn was not standing and searched among the corpses of the dead.  
  
Frodo found her and cried out in fear.  
  
Aragorn ran to the spot where the she-elf lay and looked for signs of life. He lifted her into his arms, not daring to removed the sword that protruded from her chest and carried her away from the battlefield.  
  
He found a sheltered spot in the trees and laid Celyn down on her side. Legolas knelt beside her, reaching for the sword.  
  
"Wait." Aragorn pushed his hand away.  
  
"It has to come out, Aragorn." Legolas said, taking hold of the hilt and pulling.  
  
Celyn stirred slightly but did not open her eyes.  
  
Aragorn ran back to their ruined camp and picked up his pack. The hobbits were sobbing pitifully, Boromir's face was pale with fright and Gimli muttered worriedly to himself.  
  
Legolas had lifted Celyn's shirt at the back, revealing a vicious wound three inches long.  
  
Aragorn opened his pack and found his water bag, a clean scrap of cloth, and all that remained of the athelas.  
  
He called to Gimli and instructed him to start a fire and heat the water. The dwarf set the fire and in it's light Aragorn studied the sword.  
  
To his dismay, it was a type of poisoned blade that orcs often carried.  
  
Celyn was covered in blood, and he dipped the cloth into the water and wiped it away. When the water was boiling he dropped the athelas leaves in and soaked the cloth again.  
  
As he dabbed at the wound lightly, Celyn opened her eyes and tried to sit up. She moaned softly but could say nothing, so great was her pain.  
  
Aragorn motioned for Legolas to sit and he did so. Aragorn carefully moved Celyn so that she leaned against Legolas, her head hanging limply on his shoulder.  
  
Crouching over her, Aragorn undid the top three buttons of Celyn's shirt to reveal another wound between her breasts.  
  
She began to shake as he cleaned it, whimpering in misery.  
  
Frodo appeared in the trees, soaked with rain, carrying his belongings.  
  
The rest of the party moved under the shelter of the trees, although none dared go near the fire for fear of what they might see.  
  
Aragorn dipped the cloth into the water again and continued to clean the would on Celyn's chest. She began to struggle in Legolas' arms and he held her gently but firmly.  
  
"Legolas, let me go."  
  
"Legolas, hold her." Legolas was torn between commands.  
  
He knew what Aragorn said would for the best, but he wanted to do what Celyn told him also.  
  
He trusted Aragorn's judgement and Celyn struggled weakly for a little while longer before she fell into deep sleep.  
  
Carefully, so he did not wake her, Aragorn lay Celyn on her side again and covered her with a blanket.  
  
He stood up and went over to the others, leaving Legolas to watch her.  
  
"She has been with us two days and already she is dead."  
  
Boromir sounded more annoyed than upset and Aragorn looked at him coldly.  
  
"She is not dead." He said, his tone harsher than he had intended.  
  
Boromir recoiled as though Aragorn had hit him.  
  
"I am sorry Boromir, I should not take my frustrations out on you."  
  
Frodo looked over to where Celyn lay, the expression on his face one of hope.  
  
"She will be alright, won't she Aragorn?"  
  
Aragorn sighed and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"We shall have to see what morning brings."  
  
He lay down, put his bag beneath his head and closed his eyes. 


	4. A Shocking Turn of Events

Chapter 4 - A Shocking Turn of Events  
  
Legolas watched Celyn carefully. She had drawn her legs up to her chest as she slept, and though her face burned with intense heat, she shivered as though cold.  
  
Legolas stretched out a hand and stroked her cheek, the barest of touches yet Celyn stirred.  
  
Her eyes flickered open and her fingers twitched. Her mouth moved but he could not hear her and moved closer.  
  
She muttered something unintelligible about orcs and he grinned.  
  
"How do you feel?" He asked quietly and she closed her eyes again.  
  
"Thirsty." She whispered and he helped her to sit up.  
  
She drank a little water and leaned against him. Her chest burned as though it were on fire, and her back felt no better.  
  
Moving slowly, she buttoned her shirt and closed her eyes.  
  
Legolas held Celyn tenderly, and she drifted in and out of consciousness until morning, when Aragorn came over to them and woke her up.  
  
"How do you feel?" He asked, unbuttoning her shirt again.  
  
"I just did those up." She mumbled as he touched the area around the wound, making her flinch.  
  
She was more alert than before and pushed Aragorn's hands away.  
  
"I'm fine." She insisted and Aragorn began to start another fire to boil water.  
  
"What is it about elves," He began, "That makes it so difficult for them to accept help?"  
  
Legolas said nothing and Celyn glared at him for not supporting or defending her.  
  
Of the others, Frodo woke first and wandered over to the fire.  
  
He saw that Celyn was sitting up, although Legolas was supporting her, and was delighted.  
  
"I was afraid that you had been killed." He admitted and Celyn looked sad.  
  
"It will take more than poison to kill me."  
  
Aragorn motioned for her to sit forward and she rolled her eyes, but did so anyway. He lifted her shirt again and stared in amazement.  
  
The wound here had already closed.  
  
Legolas was worried by the bewildered expression on his friend's face and glanced over his shoulder. His mouth fell open. Aragorn stood.  
  
"Frodo, stay with Celyn while Legolas and I look for some more herbs."  
  
The man and elf went off together and Frodo moved closer to Celyn.  
  
Her pale skin was flushed red but she smiled at him.  
  
Concerned, Frodo poured cold water from his flask onto the cloth that Aragorn had left and pressed it against the elf's forehead. She did not have the strength to resist much.  
  
Legolas stared at Celyn from where he stood with Aragorn.  
  
"The blade was poisoned you say?"  
  
Aragorn held it out to him and Legolas sniffed it and scowled. He muttered a curse that made Aragorn grin, and threw the filthy blade away from him.  
  
When they returned to the fireside, Gimli, Sam, Merry and Pippin had joined Frodo. Celyn's skin was cool again when Legolas sat beside her, allowing her to lean against him.  
  
Eventually Boromir awoke and strolled over.  
  
"Oh, you're alive then." He sounded surprised.  
  
Celyn growled softly at him and Legolas found her hand and held it in his.  
  
The company breakfasted but Aragorn could not persuade Celyn eat. Even Legolas failed.  
  
Aragorn made her lean forward again and examining her back in the pale sunlight that shone into the clearing.  
  
When he checked the chest wound again, he found that had closed also.  
  
"Is this a trait of all elves, Legolas?"  
  
Legolas shook his head. "I certainly heal faster than any man, but never as fast as that, and certainly not after a poisoned blade has gone right through me."  
  
Boromir snorted and walked off.  
  
Aragorn followed him and Gimli stared at the elves holding hands knowingly.  
  
"I told you so." He whispered in Legolas' ear as he went to his bag for something.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want any breakfast?" Pippin asked, biting into a sausage.  
  
Celyn shook her head, nauseated by the smell, and moved away from Legolas.  
  
She took a deep breath, bent her knees and stood up. She let the breath out slowly, wincing in pain.  
  
"Maybe you should sit back down." Frodo suggested, but she shook her head stubbornly.  
  
She pulled the top of her shirt open and ran a finger down the gash. Slowly and deliberately, she did up the buttons and tried to walk.  
  
Legolas caught her as she fell and she cried out. Aragorn came running back and he looked angry.  
  
"Sit down." He told her, and Celyn shook her head obstinately.  
  
"We need to move Aragorn. Orcs can smell the dead from leagues away, and the bodies over there are getting no fresher."  
  
Reluctantly, Aragorn agreed that they would walk on.  
  
Legolas let Celyn go and she tried to walk again, this time getting a few steps before she stumbled.  
  
Legolas' gaze was so full of concern, his touch so gentle that Celyn blushed.  
  
She patted her hips absentmindedly, searching for her sword. She glanced down and frowned.  
  
"Has anyone seen my sword?" She asked, but no-one had.  
  
Stealing herself against the smell, Celyn stepped onto the battlefield and searched among the dead for the treasured weapon.  
  
Legolas helped her look, and she found it lying on the ground beside the orc who had stabbed her.  
  
Celyn kicked the carcass viciously and swayed as dizziness overcame her.  
  
Once again Legolas caught her, and she twisted to face him.  
  
His mouth was inches away from hers and she leaned into him, one hand on his chest, the other on his neck.  
  
Legolas kissed her, and Celyn moaned, a combination of agony and ecstasy. Legolas placed his hands on her back and pulled her closer, so that they were intertwined from mouth to groin.  
  
Behind them, Boromir cleared his throat.  
  
"We are ready to leave." He announced, before turning his back on them.  
  
Grudgingly, Legolas released Celyn, who sheathed her sword and walked back to the clearing, holding hands with him.  
  
Boromir scowled at them, a bitter expression distorting his handsome face. Celyn retrieved her things from the ground, ignoring the pain as much as she could.  
  
The fellowship began to walk and Aragorn dropped back to check on her regularly. They stopped for a short while every few hours, but when they stopped for the night Celyn was feverish again.  
  
"I'm fine." She snapped when anybody asked her how she felt.  
  
She stood and left them, moving to a tree which she climbed. She leaned against the branches, not wanting to show the others the pain she felt.  
  
Not wanting to give Boromir further reason to hate her.  
  
She closed her eyes as wave of dizziness hit her, and the tree moved. The tree did not really move, Celyn just fell out of it.  
  
It wasn't until the dizzy spell had passed that she opened her eyes and saw Boromir looking down at her, genuine concern in his eyes.  
  
"I witnessed your fall, are you alright?"  
  
She turned her head and her neck clicked.  
  
Boromir held out a hand and helped her to her feet. She leaned her forehead against the trunk of the tree and could hear Boromir moving behind her.  
  
"Why do you hate me?" She asked him and he shook with quiet laughter.  
  
"I do not hate you. I think you are weak because you are a girl, but I do not hate you."  
  
"Weak?" Celyn laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks.  
  
"I am over ten million years old and you think I am weak. You do not live that long by being weak."  
  
She tensed as Boromir put his hand between her shoulder blades, the exact spot where her injury was. Celyn turned to face him.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
He kissed her and Celyn tried to pull away, but her back was against the tree. She struggled, but was too sore to put up much of a fight.  
  
Panting with exhaustion, she tried to push him away.  
  
Boromir suddenly jerked away and landed in a heap on the ground.  
  
Aragorn stood between them, scowling at Boromir.  
  
"If you do anything like that again, I will let her kill you." His voice was low, precise, but Boromir heard every word.  
  
He scrambled to his feet and hurried away.  
  
Aragorn turned to Celyn who was staring at the ground.  
  
"I should not have come. I have only been a hindrance."  
  
Aragorn shook his head. "No. We have come far since Lothlorien, and we have stayed no longer than we would have anyway."  
  
Celyn looked infinitely sad.  
  
"I am over ten million years old. I have seen so much that causes pain."  
  
She sighed, closing her as a single tear ran down her face.  
  
"I have seen too much, and now I am weary."  
  
Aragorn had extensive knowledge of elves, for he knew many, but he had never met one so old as Celyn, who looked so young.  
  
She looked to be younger than Galadriel, who was only four thousand, a baby in comparison.  
  
Celyn sat slowly, groaning only once.  
  
Aragorn sat beside her, his back against the tree, watching the camp.  
  
"Did you have children?" He asked, wanting to know more about her.  
  
When Celyn spoke she sounded unhappy, distant.  
  
"No. I was the baby. My sister married and had a child of her own, but I never did."  
  
Aragorn felt her grief, so strong it was almost tangible.  
  
"I did not get the chance." She added, almost as if she were speaking to herself.  
  
"What of you? Do you know love?"  
  
Aragorn closed his eyes as he recalled the face of the one he loved.  
  
"Arwen." He whispered and Celyn smiled at him.  
  
"She loves you." She told him sweetly.  
  
Then her whole demeanour changed and she became serious once again.  
  
"We will depart in the morning? My heart will feel lighter when we reach Minas Tirith and leave Boromir behind."  
  
The comment was cruel, but spoken with absolute honesty and Aragorn could not find it in himself to feel angry on Boromir's behalf.  
  
The silence between them stretched on and Celyn leaned her head against Aragorn's shoulder as another bout of light-headedness hit her. He held her lightly as she slipped into unconsciousness again.  
  
Even through her shirt, his cloak and his shirt, Aragorn could feel the heat rising from her.  
  
Moving slowly, he picked up a small stone and threw it toward where Legolas lay.  
  
It hit the elf on the back, causing him to wake. He gazed around, instantly alert, and saw Aragorn gesturing for him to come.  
  
Celyn was asleep, leaning against the ranger, whose brow was furrowed in concern.  
  
"She fell out of a tree." He whispered as Legolas knelt. "And she is burning up again."  
  
Legolas put his hand against Celyn's forehead and pulled it away quickly. He went to his pack and brought his water bag over.  
  
"How near to water are we?" He inquired.  
  
Aragorn thought about this, looking over the geography of the land in his mind.  
  
"I do not know this place well, but I believe we are a days walk from a fresh water lake."  
  
Bearing that in mind, Legolas held his flask over Celyn's head. She opened her eyes, gasping in shock at the sudden cold, and Aragorn chuckled softly.  
  
"I would not have done it that way myself, but it could be an elvish custom that I am not acquainted with."  
  
For no apparent reason, Celyn began to cry. She was so upset that she could only speak in the elvish that they could not understand.  
  
"De nut wi nab i Lothlorien."  
  
Legolas shook his head vigorously. He had not understood the words, but he had understood their meaning.  
  
He knelt beside her and caressed her face lovingly, brushing her tears away.  
  
He whispered to her in his own elvish tongue, sweet words of comfort.  
  
"Dyno jhe, bal ne. Nw ust myn tai. Chi ust myn tai."  
  
Celyn looked into his eyes, which were as green as the first leaves of spring, and felt herself falling into him.  
  
She did not know at which point their lips met, but Legolas kissed her hungrily and she responded eagerly.  
  
Aragorn cleared his throat.  
  
"Getting Celyn hot will not help her fever, Legolas."  
  
He was smirking though, and winked at his friend.  
  
"That is true." Celyn grinned.  
  
"However, I feel much better."  
  
Legolas helped Celyn to her feet and she did not stagger this time. She stretched cautiously, feeling little discomfort. 


	5. Ambush

Chapter 5 - Ambush  
  
Aragorn shielded his eyes with his hand as he looked at the sun, which had recently risen, before striding over to the sleepers.  
  
"Wake up, lazy creatures. It is time to walk on."  
  
Celyn drew her sword and stared at the blade, which was brown with dried blood. However much she wiped at it with her sleeve, the filthy orc blood remained caked on.  
  
Sam was the first of the hobbits to wake, and when he spied Celyn walking about easily he elbowed Frodo in the ribs.  
  
"She is well." He hissed and Frodo looked around sleepily.  
  
"What? Who? What?" He looked confused and Sam rolled his eyes.  
  
"Miss Celyn is well again." He repeated, and Frodo nodded, still not fully alert.  
  
Legolas was uneasy, and paced back and forth, anxious to move on. He climbed a tree for a better view of the surrounding country and jumped down hurriedly.  
  
"There are orcs following from the North." He told Aragorn, who urged the company to hurry.  
  
Celyn slung her bow and arrows across her back, strapped her knife to her thigh, her sword to her waist and was ready to leave.  
  
She made sure that she was near Boromir at all times, wanting to make him feel as guilty as possible.  
  
Only Aragorn saw the tension between them and knew the cause.  
  
The fellowship set off swiftly, with Legolas often peering behind them. His keen eyesight was well needed, for the orcs had caught their scent and were following fast, closing the gap between them.  
  
The company came to a wide, deep river of clear water, and Aragorn led the way across a path of stepping stones. Celyn went last and stopped mid way across.  
  
"Walk on." She told Aragorn.  
  
"I will find you." She paused.  
  
"I have a plan."  
  
She waited until the orcs were in sight and ran along the bank of the river. They gave chase and she ran faster, leaping lightly over rocks and fallen tree stumps.  
  
The orcs screamed curses at her, she glanced back over her shoulder and ran over the edge of a cliff.  
  
Catching hold of a loose vine as she fell, she swung herself up into an overhanging tree and watched as the orcs plunged over the edge to their deaths.  
  
She took a minute to catch her breath, realising how close to falling she had been. Celyn ran lightly across the treetops, following the smell of the hobbits, and dropped down from the branches ahead of the fellowship.  
  
"The orcs are dead." She informed them cheerfully, and Pippin gazed at her in amazement.  
  
"I guess you are feeling better then."  
  
"Much better for having led them astray. However, I spied a shadow in the distance, which I believe to be more of the foul creatures."  
  
Aragorn did not look happy to hear this, and nor did Frodo, who was weary of his quest and wished to be at home in the Shire, in his warm, safe bed at Bag End.  
  
Gimli, who had complained little before, began to grumble to himself about the many miles they had walked, and the orcs that still pursued them. He fell into step with Legolas and voiced his opinion of orcs.  
  
"Foul, smelly, dirty, evil little buggers. Hate all things of beauty and love to kill, smash, destroy and plunder. I wish they would all drop dead." Pippin nodded in agreement.  
  
"Orcs. Disgusting."  
  
Frodo begged Aragorn to stop and rest a while, and the man agreed, although rather hesitantly.  
  
"Rest quickly, my friends. I would like to be away before the orcs are too near."  
  
Boromir looked warily in the direction they had come.  
  
"Would it not be wise to blind-side the enemy while we are at an advantage?" He asked. "Rather than have them gain on us and attack unexpectedly?"  
  
Aragorn glanced at Boromir coldly, but Celyn stood and placed her hand on Boromir's shoulder.  
  
"I agree. Legolas could fire on them from the trees. The hobbits would be safe up high, and we could engage them in swordplay on the ground."  
  
Everybody looked at her as if she were mad, even Boromir.  
  
Aragorn studied her face intently, trying to assess her motives.  
  
"I would not risk us all in a moment of madness. There is too much at stake."  
  
Aragorn nodded, reassured.  
  
"Well?" Frodo asked, shaking visibly as the shouts of the orcs came within hearing.  
  
"Do we go, or do we fight?"  
  
"We will fight." Boromir declared, seeing the other man's indecision.  
  
Everyone looked to Aragorn, who nodded slowly.  
  
"We will fight." He repeated, drawing Andúril.  
  
Celyn and Boromir helped the hobbits into the trees and they clambered as far up as they could go, clinging tightly to the branches for fear of falling.  
  
Legolas sprang lithely onto a bough of his own and strung his bow. Celyn handed him her own quiver of arrows, kissed his lips lightly and jumped down.  
  
Gimli hid himself behind a bush, Boromir stood behind a tree and Aragorn and Celyn waited.  
  
"I hope this works." He said, looking at her uncertainly. Celyn flashed him a convincing smile.  
  
"It will." She replied with complete confidence.  
  
The bushes ahead of them parted as a large orc pushed through, followed by four dozen others.  
  
"I told you I could smell woman." Someone at the front snarled and the leader growled.  
  
"A pretty piece of flesh, but hardly enough to share."  
  
It grinned and laughed evilly at it's own joke.  
  
It did not see Aragorn.  
  
Celyn's expression was unreadable as she drew her knife and held it loosely. She drew a second knife and the orcs bellowed with laughter.  
  
"Are you going to hurt us, little girl?"  
  
The leader asked savagely and she nodded innocently.  
  
Her knife cut through the air so fast it was a blur and struck the leader in the throat before it had a chance to see it coming.  
  
It howled in rage and died.  
  
The other orcs stared in silence for a few seconds, before uttering a war cry and attacking.  
  
Legolas let three arrows fly and three orcs fell.  
  
Boromir and Gimli revealed themselves, entering the fray.  
  
The hobbits watched from above, trying desperately not to call out, trying not to announce their hiding place.  
  
It was too much for Sam who, when an orc swung it's curved scimitar at Aragorn's turned back, cried out a warning.  
  
Aragorn twisted and plunged Andúril into the heart of his would be killer.  
  
Celyn kicked one of the creatures in the face so hard that the impact broke it's nose, and used it's own sword to eviscerate it. She sank her knives into the back of another, who had been trying to scalp Gimli.  
  
Legolas shot at any orc who neared the trees in which the hobbits sat, but became distracted when one grabbed his ankle and pulled him down to earth.  
  
Frodo held on for dear life as three orcs surrounded his tree and began to charge it repeatedly, causing it to creak and sway.  
  
Boromir came to his rescue and killed the three, just as Frodo lost his grip and fell.  
  
The man caught him and placed him on his feet.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked breathlessly and Frodo nodded, dazed.  
  
Half of the enemy was slain, yet still they came.  
  
Gimli roared in anger as an orc pulled his axe from his fingers and began to hack at the hobbit trees.  
  
He leapt onto the beast's back, stabbing it with a stray knife he had found, and it reared up, trying to throw him off.  
  
Seizing the moment, the Dwarf slit it's throat and hopped off, retrieving his axe.  
  
Legolas struggled against an orc that was trying to choke him, lashing out in desperation.  
  
Aragorn decapitated it from behind, pivoted and disembowelled another in one movement.  
  
Legolas muttered a word of thanks, plucked his bow from the ground and fired an arrow into the throat of the nearest orc.  
  
Finally, there was just one left, the biggest, smelliest one of them all.  
  
"Enough!" It barked, scooping Frodo up. "Drop your weapons or I will kill the halfling."  
  
Everyone stopped dead.  
  
The silence was broken only by the ragged breathing of the fighters.  
  
Aragorn slowly lowered Andúril and dropped it. Celyn let her knives fall and they thudded wetly on the blood soaked soil. Legolas placed his bow on the ground. Gimli dropped his axe, reluctantly, muttering softly.  
  
The orc snarled at Boromir, the only person still holding a weapon, and he let go.  
  
The silence went on. Eventually, Aragorn spoke.  
  
"You cannot possibly win. You cannot kill the halflings. It is against your orders."  
  
The orc snarled again, it's eyes darting about wildly as it searched for an escape route.  
  
"Put Frodo down." Aragorn commanded and the orc bolted for a clearing in the trees.  
  
Boromir stood, picked up one of Celyn's knives and threw it with all his might.  
  
His aim was true, and the blade embedded itself in the back of the creatures skull.  
  
It expired, pinning a terrified Frodo beneath a tree-like arm. He struggled free, covered in mud and other putrid substances, took one look at the knife sticking out of the body, and fainted dead away. 


	6. Making Amends

Chapter 6 - Making Amends  
  
Everyone was weary and bloodied, and all but Sam, Merry and Pippin were wounded.  
  
Legolas had caught his head as he fell from the tree and had scratches across his face. Boromir had been bitten by an orc and had nasty teeth mark on his neck. Gimli had cuts and scratches over his face, hands and arms. Frodo has a graze on his elbow from where the orc had grabbed him, and Aragorn had lacerations across his chest, inflicted by an orc blade.  
  
Celyn had minor scrapes, but nothing life threatening, this time.  
  
She studied Frodo's scrape while he was still unconscious.  
  
"He will be fine." She looked around, thoughtful and quiet, turned to the uninjured hobbits and instructed them to start a fire and boil water.  
  
"I will return shortly."  
  
She knelt and opened her pack, taking out a small mortar and pestle, which she left on the ground and a small leather pouch, which she took with her.  
  
Then she walked off between the trees.  
  
Aragorn sat down beneath a tree, clutching his chest in pain. Legolas looked down at him in concern.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Aragorn nodded, sweat pouring down his face.  
  
When Celyn returned the leather pouch held several plants, herbs and flowers.  
  
Frodo, who had come around, watched as she dropped some large hairy green leaves, small bushy green leaves and some small purple berries into the stone bowl.  
  
"What are those?" He asked as she began to crush them up into a paste.  
  
"They will help with the wounds."  
  
Legolas watched curiously, he did not recognise any of the ingredients that Celyn had used.  
  
Celyn picked her knife up, wiping it on her trousers, and ran the edge across her palm.  
  
Sam stared in horror as her blood dropped into the bowl, mixing with the murky green paste.  
  
She hissed softly, and clenched her hand into a fist.  
  
"What are you doing?" Boromir demanded, seeing her mixing her blood in with the plants.  
  
"Giving you all manner of nasty diseases." She replied curtly.  
  
Aragorn's breath came quickly and his vision was blurred. He saw a shadow in front of him and felt gentle hands on his face.  
  
"Take your shirt off." Celyn instructed, her voice coming from far off. Aragorn shook his head.  
  
"I am fine." He insisted.  
  
Legolas did not believe him, and pulled his friend forward so that Celyn could lift the ranger's shirt over his head.  
  
Frodo gasped, the sight of the wound sickening him. He turned away, looking in mute horror at Gimli.  
  
Celyn dipped her fingers into the bloody paste and smeared it onto Aragorn's chest, completely covering the deep cuts.  
  
She left him, went over to Gimli and dabbed the paste lightly on his scratches.  
  
Boromir pulled away when Celyn approached him, but she smiled reassuringly and he allowed her to treat the bite.  
  
She covered everyone's wounds with the sweet smelling paste which made their skin tingle.  
  
Pippin put the kettle over the fire to heat the water, and Celyn dropped a handful of tiny, white star-shaped flowers in.  
  
Legolas came up behind her, put his arms around her and kissed her neck.  
  
Celyn shrugged him off and went back to Aragorn, and Legolas stood, feeling hurt.  
  
Gimli saw his friend's suffering and patted his arm.  
  
"She is concerned about Aragorn." The Dwarf explained. "Do not take it to heart."  
  
Aragorn sat up. He squinted as his vision returned to normal, showing Celyn smiling at him.  
  
"Poisoned orc blades are rather a nuisance, would you not agree?"  
  
"Poisoned?" He repeated and she laughed.  
  
"Have no fear. The blood of the First has saved you."  
  
Merry called her when the kettle began to whistle and she poured out nine cups of the water with flowers in.  
  
"What is it?" Boromir asked, taking one from her.  
  
"Jasmine. It is quite safe. It will make you feel better."  
  
They drank the sweet liquid and felt refreshed, ready to go on.  
  
Aragorn stood, pulled his shirt on.  
  
Celyn ducked behind a tree, pulling Legolas with her.  
  
"I am sorry if I hurt you. I was worried. He did not look good."  
  
She glanced at Aragorn, who was cleaning Andúril. Legolas nodded.  
  
"I understand." He still sounded hurt.  
  
Celyn turned his face toward hers and kissed his mouth.  
  
"We are leaving!" Aragorn called, impatient to move on now he felt himself again.  
  
Legolas smirked and went to retrieve his arrows from the bodies of the orcs.  
  
Celyn licked her lips, tasting Legolas on them, and smiled to herself.  
  
When everyone had gathered their belongings, the party began to walk again.  
  
Frodo began to sing softly to himself, one of old Bilbo's favourite walking songs, and was filled sadness. He doubted that he would ever see Bilbo again. He did not expect to return from Mordor.  
  
Celyn was at his side and he looked up.  
  
"Do you ever miss your family?" He asked, and she looked down at him, squinting in the sunlight.  
  
"Sometimes. After they…" She faltered, swallowing a lump in her throat.  
  
"After they died, I was alone for a long time. I did not know where any of the Elves were." She half-smiled to herself.  
  
"I wandered the country, hoping that they would come back. I found them by mistake, stumbled across their forest, almost in a state of madness."  
  
She realised that the others were listening and fell silent.  
  
"What happened next?" Sam asked gently, and a single tear slid down Celyn's face.  
  
"They welcomed me, although they had no idea who I was, where I had come from. But I could not stay there, I was different. I felt isolated. I left and returned to the ruins of the house of the First."  
  
She paused to take a drink of water before carrying on.  
  
"I took a potion to make me sleep for a thousand years. When I woke I took another potion, then another. I wanted to die."  
  
"That cannot be where the story ends." Gimli said, drawing Celyn from her thoughts. She laughed.  
  
"No Master Gimli. It was Dwarves who found me the third time. They told me that many things had changed, I had slept through a war, and woken at the beginning of a new one. They told me of Sauron, and I knew I had to help." She lifted her head.  
  
"And here I am."  
  
Frodo looked up at her in awe.  
  
"Three thousand years?" He asked, amazed. She nodded.  
  
"Do you feel better about missing Bilbo now?" She asked, and his mouth fell open.  
  
Celyn smiled mysteriously and moved to the front of the company to talk to Aragorn.  
  
"How did she know I was missing Bilbo?" He asked incredulously.  
  
Merry laughed. "She must be psychic."  
  
Pippin's stomach growled.  
  
"I wonder if she is psychic enough to know it is time for tea."  
  
They pushed through a clump of thorn bushes and came out on the edge of the forest. A lake glistened before them, catching the rays of the late afternoon sun.  
  
Aragorn turned to face the others.  
  
"We shall rest for the night in the clearing five minutes back."  
  
He informed them, and Legolas led the way as they backtracked.  
  
Celyn dropped her pack and motioned for Aragorn to follow her. She led him to the lake and lifted his shirt.  
  
"You should clean that now."  
  
She traced the line of the wound, which was still covered by the now hardened green paste.  
  
Doing as she said, he knelt and splashed water onto his chest, scraping the mush away.  
  
He stared in astonishment at his own chest. The wound was completely healed, the skin unblemished, un-scarred.  
  
"The First really were an amazing race." He commented and Celyn smiled.  
  
"I know."  
  
One by one the others were sent to wash the paste away and all returned healed and impressed.  
  
Sam, who was busy preparing the evening meal, let out a cry of dismay as he rummaged around in his pack.  
  
"We do not have much food left." He informed them. "A few sausages, and some of those biscuits from Lothlorien, but that is all."  
  
Legolas picked up his bow. "Then we shall go hunting." He looked around.  
  
"Can anyone else shoot?"  
  
Aragorn nodded and Celyn raised her hand.  
  
"I can." She picked up her own bow and took a single arrow from her quiver.  
  
"Let us see what we can find."  
  
She and Legolas went in separate directions, agreeing to inform each other if they caught something.  
  
The remaining members of the fellowship set about building a fire big enough for a small deer, and Frodo created a makeshift spit out of sturdy sticks. Then they waited for the food to arrive.  
  
Legolas listened, his head to one side, his eyes closed. He could feel the ground beneath his feet, feel himself becoming one with the forest. He sniffed the air, catching Celyn's scent on the wind.  
  
He shook himself, trying to concentrate. Before he could even locate an animal there was a high pitched scream and a thud, far off to his left.  
  
He ran toward the sound, praying.  
  
Celyn was crouching over a pheasant and lifted it for him to see. Her one arrow stuck out from it's chest.  
  
He blinked, surprised at the speed at which she had located and killed it, with a single arrow.  
  
"I told you I could hunt."  
  
She tugged her arrow out and passed the bird to him. He carried it back to the camp and everyone cheered.  
  
"I did not hit it." He told them honestly and Celyn smirked.  
  
"I would have waited to let you get something first, but I am hungry."  
  
Aragorn laughed and began to pluck the bird.  
  
A short while later they sat down to eat and everybody was content with the food, a veritable feast when compared with previous meals.  
  
Celyn glanced up to find Boromir studying her face. His brow was furrowed, as though he was deep in thought.  
  
She smiled at him in a friendly way and he smiled back nervously.  
  
Celyn could see the regret in his eyes and she smiled at him again.  
  
"I forgive you." She whispered, and Boromir straightened.  
  
He felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. 


	7. Mischief and Mirth

Chapter 7 - Mischief and Mirth  
  
Celyn went to the lake alone, asking the menfolk not to leave camp until her return.  
  
Merry was about to ask why when she took clean clothes and soap from her bag.  
  
He looked at Pippin, who grinned mischievously.  
  
Taking care to make sure they were not seen, the two young hobbits followed the she-Elf.  
  
They stood behind trees to watch as she undressed and waded into the freezing cold water.  
  
As soon as her head was beneath the surface, Pippin ran forward, grabbed her clothes, and dived back under cover.  
  
Merry stared, fascinated, as Celyn climbed onto a rock and untied her hair, which swirled free around her hips. Merry imagined it would be like capturing moonlight if he touched it.  
  
He let out a strangled cry as Pippin dragged him out of sight.  
  
They laughed quietly, hiding the clothes under a bush, and hurried back to camp.  
  
Celyn poured soap onto her hands and began to wash her hair.  
  
The waterfall cascaded down around her shoulders, washing away the blood, sweat and dirt of the last few days.  
  
The rushing sound of the water reverberated around inside her head, clearing away all doubts and worries that she had.  
  
She felt refreshed when she made her way back to the sandy shore and scanned the ground in front of her.  
  
She rolled her eyes and sighed.  
  
"Very funny, halflings!" She shouted and, to her horror, Legolas came running.  
  
He stared for a few seconds before Celyn dropped to her knees and hid behind her hair.  
  
"I heard shouting." He explained, turning away.  
  
His shoulders shook with repressed laughter.  
  
"Merry and Pippin seem to find it amusing to steal my clothes and leave me naked."  
  
She blushed furiously, glad that he could not see her face. Or anything else.  
  
Legolas slowly unpinned his cloak and placed it on the ground where he stood.  
  
He glanced at her once more, grinning, then walked away.  
  
When he was out of sight, Celyn rushed over to the cloak and pulled it on, folding it tightly around herself.  
  
She took in his scent for a moment before running for the camp.  
  
Merry and Pippin were cooking sausages over the fire with Sam and Frodo when Celyn arrived. Both avoided her eyes.  
  
She strode up to them, catching the glances of Boromir and Gimli.  
  
Legolas went up to Aragorn and whispered something to him, bringing a smile to the ranger's lips.  
  
Celyn grabbed Pippin by the shoulders and dragged him to his feet.  
  
"Where are my clothes?" She demanded, shaking him.  
  
Pippin's eyes widened as the cloak fell open and pale expanses of flesh were uncovered at his eye level.  
  
He gulped and Celyn dropped him.  
  
She turned to Merry, who had been laughing but stopped.  
  
"My clothes." She repeated dangerously.  
  
Merry quivered like a leaf in a hurricane.  
  
"Do not be too hard on the hobbits." Aragorn remarked.  
  
"It is in their nature to play jokes on others."  
  
"It is cold, and I have nothing to wear but a borrowed cloak."  
  
Gimli took in the terrified expressions of the hobbits and burst out laughing.  
  
"A clever trick, young hobbits!" He roared, and could say no more.  
  
Even Boromir was laughing at her.  
  
Celyn stalked off angrily. She would find her clothes herself.  
  
She spotted the small hobbit tracks in the sand beside the lake, followed them through the trees and to a bush, where they stopped, then headed back to camp.  
  
She bent and peered under the bush.  
  
A scrap of her shirt hung on a twig, but everything else was gone.  
  
She turned to see Legolas watching her.  
  
"They are not here." She whined and he approached her, backing her up against a tree, his mouth seeking hers.  
  
"You are so beautiful." He whispered, kissing her neck.  
  
He slid his hands beneath the cloak, caressing her bare back. Celyn sighed in contentment as his lips trailed kisses across her throat, down her chest.  
  
His fingers brushed against her thighs and her eye flickered open. She pushed him away.  
  
"I still have no clothes." She stated, a red flush creeping across her cheeks.  
  
Hurt flashed across Legolas' face and she reached for him.  
  
"Dala sai, ura aria." Not yet, my love, she moaned, kissing him fiercely.  
  
Legolas held her, his lips brushing against her ear.  
  
"As you wish." He kissed her cheek, running his fingers through her hair.  
  
She smelled wonderful, like milk and honey.  
  
Celyn straightened the borrowed cloak and they returned to the others together.  
  
"My clothes are gone."  
  
Celyn threw the scrap of material that used to be her shirt to the ground in front of the hobbits.  
  
"This is all that remains."  
  
Giving them a dirty look, she lifted her pack and sat under a tree on the edge of the clearing.  
  
Aragorn noticed the twinkle in Legolas' eye and smiled to himself.  
  
Gimli told the hobbits off, although he meant the words in jest.  
  
Boromir could not stop smirking.  
  
Aragorn sauntered over to the fire and looked down at Merry and Pippin who were, as always, eating.  
  
"Who has clothes small enough for a she-Elf?"  
  
Frodo began to open his pack, but the ranger stopped him.  
  
"You have no need to give, Frodo. I am sure Merry and Pippin have clothes to spare."  
  
Pippin lifted his head in alarm.  
  
"Now wait a minute." He spluttered. "What if I need them?"  
  
Gimli let out a booming laugh.  
  
"You should have thought of that earlier!" He said heartily, doubled up with laughter.  
  
Pippin passed his spare trousers to Aragorn and glared at Merry.  
  
Merry handed over his spare shirt and glared at Pippin.  
  
Sam laughed at both of them and stole the sausage that Pippin had been heating.  
  
Aragorn took the bundle of clothes over to Celyn.  
  
"The hobbits wish to give you these." He said, giving them to her.  
  
"No, they do not." She smiled, her eyes glinting wickedly in the half light.  
  
"Perhaps they would find it amusing to be DISTRACTED during a battle."  
  
Aragorn smirked as that image flashed across his mind.  
  
Shivering, Celyn took the clothes and disappeared into the darkness of the trees.  
  
When she returned she looked warmer, if not happier.  
  
"They are not my clothes." She grumbled, fastening the buttons of the shirt.  
  
She gave Legolas his cloak and sat beside the fire.  
  
Merry and Pippin were not speaking to each other, and Celyn was speaking to neither of them.  
  
"I think I preferred you without your clothes." Legolas whispered, and she elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
Frodo laughed as Legolas rubbed his side, for he had heard the remark.  
  
"We are all very merry tonight." Boromir noted, and Aragorn agreed.  
  
"We would be merrier still if we had some ale." Gimli said wistfully.  
  
"Unfortunately, my Dwarfish friend," Aragorn began, "There is are no pubs for a thousand miles around."  
  
"A shame, I am sure." Legolas said, frowning.  
  
Elves did not approve of ale.  
  
Neither did they approve of pipe weed, as he mentioned to Gimli, who snorted.  
  
"A Dwarf has to have some pleasure." He rumbled, puffing on his pipe.  
  
One by one, the fellowship settled down to sleep, leaving Gimli on watch.  
  
The Dwarf roused Celyn, who sat thinking in the shadows.  
  
She re-plaited her hair, fed the fire wood every now and then, but had no other way to break the tedium. She hummed softly to herself, digging a hole in the ground with her fingers. She sighed, almost wishing that they would be attacked so that she would have something to do.  
  
Gimli snored loudly and muttered something in his sleep, and she giggled.  
  
After three hours of doing nothing, she woke Sam and he looked at her blearily.  
  
"Time for your watch." She whispered and he nodded listlessly.  
  
He sat up and crawled closer to the fire. Celyn lay down, closed her eyes, and slept until the sun rose. 


	8. Personal Space

Chapter 8 - Personal Space  
  
They ate what was left of the pheasant for breakfast before moving on.  
  
Aragorn predicted that they were half a day away from the river, where they would decide which direction to take.  
  
As they walked, they talked of their battles together, and argued about who had killed the most orcs.  
  
"I have killed twenty eight." Gimli announced, grinning. "With an axe, face-to-face."  
  
"And I have killed twenty nine with my bow." Legolas chipped in.  
  
Boromir shook his head. "I have killed thirty three. I have killed the most."  
  
Frodo spoke for the hobbits. "I say we count as one man, and between us we have killed forty orcs."  
  
"You count as TWO men," Boromir interjected, "So that would be only twenty each."  
  
"How many have you slain, Aragorn?" Sam asked, and the ranger shrugged.  
  
"Thirty, forty, fifty. Who knows? I lost count after the first three."  
  
They laughed and Legolas looked at Celyn.  
  
"How about you, last of the First?" Celyn smirked.  
  
"Twelve. But I have died the most of all of us, so I win that contest."  
  
No-one could argue with her there. The chatter died, and they walked for many more miles in silence.  
  
After a while, Aragorn called a break and they rested.  
  
The forest had stopped at the lake, and they were crossing open country now. Another forest started far off in the distance, and beyond that lay the river.  
  
The land about them was eerily quiet, and Frodo found this unnerving. Although they were weary, no-one wanted to remain in the open for longer than necessary, and they stopped only to catch their breath.  
  
By noon the forest overshadowed them and they entered trees once more. The river suddenly appeared in front of them, and they stopped on the West bank.  
  
"Now we must decide which way we go, and if we remain together." Aragorn told them.  
  
"We can carry on West to Minas Tirith, or we could go East to Mordor."  
  
"My path lies West." Boromir announced without hesitation.  
  
"I am going home, and I urge all those of sound mind to join me."  
  
Aragorn considered. "I would much like to see Minas Tirith." He mused.  
  
"I will go where I am needed." Celyn declared. "My fate lies with Frodo, whichever way he chooses."  
  
Legolas looked downcast, for he had wanted to go to Minas Tirith with Boromir and Aragorn, but did not want to leave Celyn.  
  
Sam, Merry and Pippin talked among themselves.  
  
"We are going with Frodo too." They concluded.  
  
Everyone looked at Gimli, who was deep in thought.  
  
"Death almost certainly lies East, and West may not hold a better end."  
  
"We do not have to decide now, do we?" Frodo inquired, alarmed, for he had not thought much beyond reaching the river.  
  
Aragorn shook his head. "We will discuss it in the morning. Let us enjoy our last night together, as I am almost certain it will be the last."  
  
They set their last camp on the bank and the hobbits decided that they were going to fish. Sam rummaged through his pack and came up with line.  
  
"I knew we would need it eventually." He confessed, passing it to Frodo, who attached it to makeshift rods.  
  
"What are you going to use for bait?" Legolas asked.  
  
"I think the fish might enjoy Elf myself." Gimli joked and Legolas laughed with him, their initial rivalry and distrust long forgotten.  
  
Celyn dug another hole in the soil of the bank and pulled up a few worms for the hobbits to use.  
  
Frodo waded into the river until the water gushed around his knees and dropped his line in.  
  
Merry and Pippin stood side-by-side, although grudgingly, because they both still blamed each other for the joke they had played on Celyn.  
  
Gimli sat sharpening his axe again, and Legolas worked at repairing his arrows.  
  
Aragorn went with Boromir and Celyn to the river and they washed the blood from their swords properly.  
  
Aragorn paused to watch the fishing hobbits and chuckled when Pippin got a bite that pulled him over.  
  
"Stupid fish." The hobbit muttered, getting up and jerking his rod back angrily.  
  
"It is the one that got away, my friend." Aragorn laughed, returning to Legolas and Gimli.  
  
Merry moved closer to Pippin, about to say something comforting, when Pippin glared at him.  
  
"Do you mind! YOU are invading MY personal space!"  
  
Merry moved away and Celyn waded into the river and pulled them together.  
  
"Now listen to me carefully." She looked at them solemnly. " You are both going to apologise and shake hands."  
  
"I will if HE will." Merry answered.  
  
"I will if HE goes first." Pippin said and Celyn shook them.  
  
"How old are you? Stop behaving like children and get on with it."  
  
She stepped back and pushed them together. The two hobbits scowled at each other.  
  
"HE has to go first." Pippin repeated. Celyn rolled her eyes.  
  
"You have to the count of the three, then I will MAKE you."  
  
Neither of them moved.  
  
"ONE, TWO, THREE."  
  
She stepped forward and Merry grabbed Pippin's hand.  
  
"I am sorry." He stated, shaking vigorously.  
  
"Me too. Come here you." Pippin pulled Merry into a hug and Celyn smiled triumphantly.  
  
Everyone had been so interested in the amusing episode between the two that they had stopped concentrating on what they were doing themselves.  
  
Sam had been holding his rod tightly, laughing at his friends, and let out a cry of surprise as he was pulled over.  
  
Frodo ran over and grabbed him, and Merry and Pippin joined in.  
  
"Pull." Sam shouted, struggling to keep his grip on the stick.  
  
They heaved together and fell backwards as the fish gave up the fight and sailed through the air. It landed on the bank, flapping pathetically, and Frodo grinned at Sam.  
  
"Look how big it is!"  
  
Aragorn walked over to the fish and lifted it.  
  
"It is heavy." He said, measuring the length with his eyes. "And I would say about half of Sam's height."  
  
The hobbits appeared on the bank, crowding around Aragorn.  
  
"Here you go, Sam."  
  
The ranger gave the fish to it's catcher, who staggered under it's weight. He grinned at his friends.  
  
"We are going to have quite a meal tonight."  
  
"That was the best fish I have ever tasted, young halfling." Gimli told Sam, who smiled happily. Celyn agreed with the Dwarf.  
  
"Excellent food, excellent company. What more could a girl ask for?"  
  
Her gaze lingered on Legolas who smirked.  
  
Aragorn stared into the fire, the flickering light reflecting in his eyes.  
  
"I have been thinking, and I believe I have killed thirty six orcs. That would make me the best."  
  
Celyn laughed.  
  
"That again. You were all using weapons. You would be useless without swords or bows or axes."  
  
"And I suppose you can fight without any of those." Boromir said sarcastically. She nodded.  
  
"Yes. If a warrior is only as good as the weapon she fights with, she cannot call herself a warrior."  
  
She took an arrow from Legolas' quiver, picked Gimli's axe up from the ground, and drew her own curved knife.  
  
"But at the same time, a weapon is only as good as the hand that wields it."  
  
Frodo frowned.  
  
"I think that makes sense." He considered, thinking of a way to express the statement in simple terms.  
  
"Legolas' bow is only a deadly weapon when it is in Legolas' hand, because Gimli would not know what to do with it?" Gimli snorted.  
  
"I would, it cannot be hard. Just pull the string and let go."  
  
Legolas laughed and gave his bow to Gimli.  
  
"Show us how easy it is, my friend."  
  
Gimli took it and stood. He placed an arrow against the bow, pulled the string back and released it. The arrow fluttered uselessly over their heads, hit a tree and bounced as it hit the ground.  
  
Everyone laughed at him and Gimli sat down again, holding his head high.  
  
"It is harder than it looks." He said haughtily.  
  
Sam yawned widely, followed by Merry, and then Pippin. Celyn laughed.  
  
"I think we are all tired. Perhaps we should rest without a guard tonight. I cannot feel orcs anywhere around us."  
  
Aragorn looked doubtful.  
  
"I will watch." He shrugged casually.  
  
"Just in case."  
  
Celyn nodded, picked up her blanket and disappeared into the trees. Legolas followed her.  
  
Celyn was about to climb into a silver birch when an arm snaked around her waist. She turned and kissed Legolas.  
  
"So, can you really fight without weapons?" He asked and she pouted.  
  
"Of course." She answered confidently.  
  
"I thought you might just be saying that to impress me." He teased.  
  
"Are you not already impressed?"  
  
His eyes travelled over her face, taking in her fiery blue eyes, creamy pale skin, soft lips. He allowed his gaze to move further down, following the curve of her breast beneath the shirt. He licked his lips.  
  
"Not really." He lied and she smirked.  
  
"Maybe you would like me to show you how good I am?"  
  
Celyn pushed him away from her and let her arms fall to her sides.  
  
Legolas watched her legs, looking for a tell-tale sign to show him which direction she was going to attack from.  
  
He was caught unaware when she came at him head on, pushing him to the ground. He grabbed her arms and flipped her over, and she scrambled to her feet again, hair in her eyes, grinning.  
  
Legolas got up and attempted to sweep her legs from beneath her. Celyn stepped backwards and poked her tongue out at him. He ran at her and she tripped him.  
  
He fell, and she straddled his waist, gripping his wrists. Legolas twisted free, grabbed her shoulders and rolled backwards so that he was now straddling her.  
  
"Do not think you have won just because you are on top." She panted breathlessly and he silenced her with a kiss.  
  
Celyn pulled her head back and stared into his eyes. They both knew that he had won.  
  
She reached for him hungrily, her lips seeking his, even as she fumbled with the buttons on his tunic. She pulled it over his head, too impatient to undo them.  
  
Legolas kissed her, his fingers in her hair, against her skin as he removed her shirt.  
  
He took a moment to delight in her pale flesh before Celyn pulled him down, kissing him more insistently.  
  
She slid her tongue into his mouth and, through his surprise, Legolas revelled in the sensation.  
  
He sat back, pulling her up.  
  
Her hands were cold as she pulled his trousers down.  
  
Celyn ducked her head, running her tongue across his chest, down across his stomach and down further still.  
  
He closed his eyes, moaning sadly as she pulled away.  
  
She stepped lightly out of her trousers and pulled him close, their passion growing as they kissed, their bodies intertwined.  
  
Legolas lay her down, kissing her, caressing her, loving her.  
  
The world faded away as they became lost in each other. All that existed was them and the stars in the sky.  
  
After a while, even the stars disappeared. 


	9. Secrets Revealed

Chapter 9 - Secrets Revealed  
  
Aragorn was still on watch at first light, and he roused the hobbits, Boromir and Gimli before heading off to search for the Elves.  
  
A smile touched his lips as he saw them from a distance, asleep together, arms wrapped around each other.  
  
"We are preparing to leave!" He called and left them in privacy.  
  
Celyn opened her eyes and rolled over.  
  
"Did we really……" She blushed and Legolas smiled.  
  
"Yes." He became serious. "You do not regret it, do you?"  
  
She shook her head firmly.  
  
"Never." She said, kissing him as she groped about for her clothes.  
  
They dressed in silence and returned to the river holding hands.  
  
Everyone looked up as they arrived.  
  
"Why do you look so…" Frodo began, but stopped as realisation dawned.  
  
"Oh." He fell silent, embarrassed.  
  
Aragorn smirked at Boromir, who smirked at Gimli, who winked at Legolas.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Pippin asked and Celyn laughed musically.  
  
"I will explain when you are older, Pip." Frodo replied simply.  
  
They sat around the dead fire eating nuts and berries that Aragorn had gathered, talking about anything they could think of.  
  
Finally they got onto the subject that Frodo had been dreading.  
  
"Which way are you going?" Boromir asked fervently.  
  
"I…." The hobbit hesitated. "I do not know. I feel as though I am at a cross-roads, with a sign pointing to safety in the West and death in the East."  
  
He looked at the ground. "And I am afraid."  
  
Celyn reached out and took his hand.  
  
"Whichever path you choose, you will not be alone."  
  
Frodo looked at the eager faces of his friends and felt calmer.  
  
"I know where I must go." He declared.  
  
Aragorn looked at him steadily. "Where is that?"  
  
Frodo took a deep breath.  
  
"I must go to….." He broke off as a shadow passed over the sun, looked into the sky.  
  
His blood ran cold at what he saw.  
  
A vast winged shape circled overhead, blocking out the sun like a foul black cloud.  
  
"Nazgúl!" Legolas cried, standing.  
  
An unearthly wail pierced the air and the hobbits clamped their hands over their ears, watching as the black shape soared away.  
  
Celyn flew ten feet backwards, thrown by some unseen force.  
  
She landed heavily on the stone beside the riverbed, where she lay stunned.  
  
Then she started screaming.  
  
Aragorn and Boromir rushed to her, trying to hold her down as she convulsed, screaming, sobbing hysterically, uncontrollably.  
  
Legolas wanted to go to her, but Gimli held him back.  
  
"They know what to do." He muttered.  
  
Aragorn struggled to hold Celyn as she fought, kicking, still screaming.  
  
Out of desperation he slapped her.  
  
Frodo cringed at the sound, which carried over the screams.  
  
She fell silent and that was far worse.  
  
Gimli let Legolas go and he ran to Celyn.  
  
Her naturally fair skin was ashen and an angry red hand mark had begun to form across her left cheek.  
  
Legolas touched the mark gently, and she pulled away from him, trembling.  
  
He stood up, hurt and confused.  
  
"What happened?" He asked, but no-one could answer.  
  
Frodo moved toward the she-Elf.  
  
"Celyn." He said her name soothingly but she recoiled as though he too had slapped her.  
  
She focused on him, whimpering.  
  
"What is wrong with you?" He asked, stepping towards her.  
  
She scrambled to her feet and began to run.  
  
Aragorn, who was still reeling from shock, dashed after her, catching her around the waist.  
  
He held her tightly and she grappled with him, trying to escape his grasp, sobbing.  
  
Sam put his hand on Frodo's shoulder, comforting his trembling friend.  
  
Legolas looked like he might faint as Aragorn released Celyn and she fell to her knees.  
  
He stared at his hands which were smeared with red.  
  
"Aragorn." Legolas stepped forward. "What is that?"  
  
The ranger held out his hands.  
  
"Blood." He whispered.  
  
Boromir put his hand on Celyn's shoulder and when he took it away it was slick with blood.  
  
He swallowed, retched and fainted.  
  
Celyn hugged her knees as Sam gently washed the blood from her back.  
  
"Aragorn!" He cried and the ranger came running.  
  
They stared at the marks that covered her skin.  
  
"Legolas!" Aragorn called and the Elf left Boromir and appeared at his friend's side.  
  
Legolas gagged, turning away.  
  
"What is that?" He demanded.  
  
Aragorn touched one of the marks and Celyn flinched.  
  
She had not spoken since she had stopped screaming, but was whimpering pitifully.  
  
The marks looked like cuts or burns which formed runic letters.  
  
"What does it say?" Sam asked and Aragorn shook his head, perplexed.  
  
"I have no idea." He confessed, calling Gimli over.  
  
The Dwarf was asked if he recognised the letters.  
  
"Aye." He answered gravely. "They are from the North."  
  
"But she is an Elf." Legolas pointed out. "Why are they Dwarfish runes?"  
  
Aragorn shrugged. Why was he expected to know everything? He wondered if Gandalf would have known the answers.  
  
"Well, what do they say?" Sam persisted, and Gimli leaned closer to Celyn's back.  
  
With a shaking finger he followed the letters.  
  
"A ring forged by evil…" He began hollowly and Celyn whispered the words also, their voices as one.  
  
"A ring forged by evil with the power to end the world.  
  
In the hands of a halfling with a soul pure as gold.  
  
Joined by a true king, the wild man of the north.  
  
A man of the south, the son of a lord.  
  
A Dwarf of the mountain. An Elf prince of the wood.  
  
A powerful wizard, the servant of good.  
  
Three small friends with nothing to gain.  
  
A quest to the fire to cast the ring to flame.  
  
Less one, one more. Daughter of the light,  
  
Elvish princess sent to cut back the night.  
  
First of the last, last of the First.  
  
Bound by blood, bound by word.  
  
To keep the bearer from being killed,  
  
The blood of the First for the bearer will spill."  
  
Celyn finished first and fell silent again.  
  
Legolas stared at her in horror.  
  
"You knew?" He demanded, angry and confused.  
  
She nodded slowly.  
  
"Did you not think it important to tell us?" He asked coldly and she looked him directly in the eye.  
  
"Would you have believed me?" Her voice was flat, toneless, and struck a chord deep in Legolas' heart.  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"No." He bit his tongue and turned away.  
  
Aragorn cleared his throat, unsure of what to say.  
  
"Wow." He uttered.  
  
"I agree." Gimli stared at the runes, not really seeing them.  
  
"I still cannot understand why they are not in Elvish." Legolas muttered and Celyn looked at him, her heart breaking.  
  
She took a deep breath and wiped away the tears that ran down her cheeks.  
  
When she spoke again she spoke the common tongue, shakily as though she was unsure of the words, but English all the same.  
  
"It is because dwarves were the first to see them."  
  
Everyone turned to look at her in amazement and she avoided their eyes, fixing her gaze on a stone on the ground.  
  
"What did you say?" Aragorn asked, and she swallowed and repeated it.  
  
"It is because dwarves were the f-f-f-first to see them. They have always been there, but there was n-n-n-no.." She hesitated, searching for the word.  
  
"No f-f-f-form to them before."  
  
Legolas knelt beside her and lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. He saw terror in their depths and hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead.  
  
"I am so sorry." He whispered in her ear and she leaned her face into his shoulder, crying softly.  
  
She was shivering when he pulled away, and Aragorn sent Sam to get her a blanket.  
  
Boromir was conscious again, and came over to her.  
  
"Are you alright?" He inquired and she looked at him.  
  
"Yes." She replied in English and he raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Did I miss something?" He asked Aragorn, who nodded.  
  
"Oh yes."  
  
He looked around for Frodo, Merry and Pippin and gestured for them to join them.  
  
"This concerns us all." He announced, sitting beside Celyn.  
  
Legolas sat next to her on the other side, holding her hand tightly.  
  
"What concerns us all?" Merry looked around, waiting for an answer that no- one but Celyn could give.  
  
Celyn closed her eyes, desperately searching for the words to explain.  
  
In the end, she slipped back into the tongue of the First and the words sounded in their heads.  
  
"It was no coincidence that the Dwarves found me when they did. A Nazgúl rode over the place where I slept in the earth. The Dwarves came, attracted by the screaming."  
  
She looked at Gimli, a smile tugging at her lips.  
  
"No Dwarf, no matter how hard he pretends to be, can ignore another being in pain."  
  
She ducked her head, thinking.  
  
Boromir took her silence to be the end of her tale and frowned.  
  
"It cannot end there, surely."  
  
Celyn lifted her head and sniffed.  
  
"I was just getting to the next part."  
  
Legolas lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. Celyn smiled faintly and carried on, her eyes closed as the past ran like a play in her mind.  
  
"They told me everything, how Sauron had been defeated and how he had risen again. They did not tell me of the ring, but they did not need to. A Nazgúl only rides when the ring is involved."  
  
She chewed her lower lip, trembling.  
  
"So I knew it was time. It knew it was almost time for me to die."  
  
She choked, fighting tears.  
  
"And I was afraid. I did not want to die any more. I knew that I could ignore my destiny, I could walk away and never look back. But I knew if I did, I would have turned my back on all life."  
  
Celyn looked at Frodo fearfully. She reached out and touched the silver chain that the ring hung on.  
  
"The ring will end all life, put out all light. That is why it must be destroyed."  
  
Frodo nodded, for now he understood why they had embarked upon the quest.  
  
"If we just hide it, it can be found again. I was afraid too, and I wanted to just give up when Gandalf died……"  
  
He trailed off sadly and to his surprise and annoyance, Celyn laughed.  
  
"Not everything is as it seems." She said mysteriously.  
  
Sam had been listening in wonder, and cleared his throat.  
  
"The words on your back. We are all named?"  
  
Gimli nodded. "Aye. Not by name, but by type."  
  
He stood behind Celyn and lifted the blanket to study the words again.  
  
"A halfling, that being Frodo. A true king, obviously Aragorn."  
  
Aragorn nodded at hearing his name, for he had been looking around intently, suddenly unnerved by the silence about them.  
  
"A man of the south." Boromir lifted his head.  
  
"That would be me."  
  
"A Dwarf of the mountains is myself, and an Elf prince of the wood is Legolas."  
  
"We would be the three small friends." Sam said, looking at Merry and Pippin.  
  
"And obviously Gandalf was the wizard who was one less." Frodo declared unhappily.  
  
Aragorn jumped to his feet.  
  
"Orcs!" He shouted, startling them all.  
  
Celyn pulled her shirt on as she stood and the fellowship prepared for their last fight together. 


	10. Grievous Partings

Chapter 10 - Grievous partings  
  
The orcs came through the trees. Their faces were smeared with war paint, their weapons smeared with blood. The leader had given it's troops specific instructions, which it had been given by Saruman himself.  
  
The halflings were not to be killed, under any circumstances.  
  
The others did not matter.  
  
The leader, who had been called Sek-na by Saruman, was unconvinced. It had heard what had happened to other troops sent to locate the fellowship. It had heard tales about the Elf that did not die.  
  
Sek-na bellowed orders at the troops and advanced on the party with sword drawn.  
  
Celyn winced as her sword clashed against that of an orc. The runes on her back burned, distracting her attention from the battle.  
  
She was too worried about Frodo to notice the orc leader watching her from a distance, protected where it stood behind the first wave of evil soldiers.  
  
She felt her skin prickle as the Nazgúl flew overhead again. Her breath caught in her throat as she struggled not to start screaming.  
  
Legolas saved her from an orc which tried to decapitate her and she stumbled, looking for Frodo.  
  
He was with the other hobbits and Gimli, trapped beside the river.  
  
Celyn ran over, her sword flashing in the sunlight as she defended them.  
  
Aragorn grappled with an orc wielding a double-headed axe and ducked to save his neck. He stabbed the creature in the gut and dodged as it fell.  
  
Celyn swore as an orc tore her sword from his fingers and threw it into the river. She snarled, drew her knife and stabbed the creature between the eyes.  
  
She swore repeatedly as she gazed into the river and let out a sigh. The sword was gone.  
  
Drawing the other knife, she rushed into the heart of the battle.  
  
Boromir grit his teeth as he parried a jarring blow from an orc and tiny stars danced before his eyes. The orc bellowed as he punched it and Boromir used it's surprise to kill it.  
  
Legolas looked around for Celyn and saw her trading blows with an orc with a white slash painted across it's face. A second orc stabbed at her from behind and she kicked it, slipped from between the two and shoved it into the first. They killed each other in the ensuing melee.  
  
Time seemed to stop as Celyn's eyes met Legolas' across the battlefield. Legolas smiled at her and shot an arrow into the throat of an charging orc without breaking eye contact.  
  
"Be careful." Celyn whispered and Legolas imagine he could hear her sweet words in his ear.  
  
Sek-na watched the two Elves carefully.  
  
He could sense the love that they shared and growled in disgust. Calling to two of other orcs to follow, Sek-na entered the fight, dodging between fighters of both sides.  
  
It arrived silently behind the hobbits, picked Merry up and sniffed him. Merry let out a cry of terror and Boromir rushed to help.  
  
Sek-na blocked as Boromir lashed out with his sword and snarled at the man. Boromir did not see the two orcs behind him and was not away of their presence until Celyn spotted them.  
  
"Canud qaid, Boromir!" Behind you, Boromir! She shouted, and Boromir twisted and killed them both.  
  
Sek-na heard Celyn's voice and half-howled, half-screamed as it showed Boromir out of the way.  
  
"Get the halflings!" It roared, grabbing Merry again.  
  
Celyn pulled Frodo to her and held him tightly.  
  
The fighting had stopped with Sek-na's shout and the warriors of both good and evil looked around, confused, wondering what was happening. Celyn glared at the orc holding Merry.  
  
"It is you." She exclaimed silkily, using the tongue of the First.  
  
"Dar y Hae." Sek-na hissed, it's eyes burning with hatred as it's fingers inched towards Merry's throat. Aragorn coughed.  
  
"Celyn, what is going on?" Celyn closed her eyes as a cool breeze ruffled her shirt, reminding her of the runes.  
  
"Remember the orcs who killed my family?" Frodo pressed himself against her limber body as Sek-na snarled, but the Elf's warm hand on his shoulder was reassuring.  
  
Aragorn looked from Sek-na to Celyn and back again, looking for some sort of resemblance.  
  
"You killed them." Gimli reminded her and Celyn nodded.  
  
"This is the first of the evil spawn." She spat the words out as though they made her feel ill.  
  
Frodo felt her shudder and lean into his, heard her groan softly in pain.  
  
Sek-na smirked, showing revolting yellowed fangs.  
  
"They told me about you." The orc rumbled.  
  
Celyn shifted restlessly.  
  
"Really? What did they say?" Her face was unreadable as she pushed Frodo toward Aragorn and the ranger stepped in front of the hobbit protectively.  
  
"They told me you do not die." The disgusting creature replied. Celyn shrugged.  
  
"Maybe they told the truth." She held her knives up.  
  
"Shall we see?"  
  
The orcs behind Sek-na shifted uneasily, disturbed by the seeming truce between their master and this Elf.  
  
"Do nothing." Sek-na commanded and the orcs fell back to the trees.  
  
It still held Merry and shoved him into Gimli, smirking as the Dwarf and hobbit hit the ground.  
  
Legolas eyed Celyn uncertainly.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Celyn smiled at him.  
  
"Trust me." She purred, approaching Sek-na with both of her knives in her hands.  
  
"We are bound by blood." She told the orc.  
  
"So I will trust your word. If you win, you can take the halflings and do with them as you will."  
  
Frodo felt oddly calm, even though Celyn was bargaining with his life. Pippin was not as composed.  
  
"What?" He demanded, stepping forward.  
  
"Now hold on! If you lose, we die." The young hobbit looked up at Sek-na and swallowed a lump in his throat. "You will never win." He blurted and looked desperately at Aragorn for support.  
  
"She is hurt, and the words sai….." He was cut off as Sam clamped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Miss Celyn will win." He hissed in Pippin's ear.  
  
Celyn turned back to Sek-na.  
  
"If you win you get them. If I win, your troops leave and do not return, and I keep them."  
  
The orc sneered as it considered before nodding slowly.  
  
"By blood." It uttered, saying the first words of the sacred oath.  
  
"By blood." Celyn repeated.  
  
"We are bound."  
  
"We are bound."  
  
"By word."  
  
"By word."  
  
"We are bound."  
  
"We are bound."  
  
The orc faltered and Celyn went on.  
  
"By honour."  
  
"By honour."  
  
"We are bound."  
  
"We are bound."  
  
"Death comes to the breaker of this oath."  
  
"Death comes to the breaker of this oath."  
  
The moment of unity between the beautiful Elf and hideous orc was passed and Sek-na lunged at Celyn. The Elf slashed upward with a knife and blood spilled as the blade caught the orc beneath the chin. She kicked it in the stomach, back-handed it across the face and raised her foot to kick again.  
  
As fast as lightning, Sek-na caught her ankle and twisted viciously. The bone would have snapped, had Celyn not twisted with it, and she landed heavily on her back, wincing as the ground pressed into the runes.  
  
Sek-na loomed over her, snarling as it reached out to strangle her.  
  
Celyn raised her knees to her chest and flipped it off. She scrambled to her feet, grabbing a knife and plunged it into the orc's chest.  
  
Sek-na roared in anger and turned the knife on it's owner.  
  
Celyn gasped as the blade sank up to the hilt in her abdomen and her eyes widened as she staggered backwards. The orc howled with laughter, shouting with glee, too caught up in triumphant mockery to notice the Elf pulled the knife out and press her hand against the wound.  
  
The fellowship watched speechlessly as Celyn lifted her shirt to reveal her toned, flawless stomach.  
  
"Sek-na." She whispered sweetly in the orc's ear, her knife pricking it's throat.  
  
Sek-na turned slowly to look into Celyn's clear blue eyes.  
  
"I thought you had heard what they said about me." She taunted, putting more pressure on the blade.  
  
The orc growled in the back of it's throat, too afraid to do anything else and too ashamed to admit fear or defeat. Celyn smiled pityingly.  
  
"It should have ended millennia ago."  
  
She closed her eyes as pain briefly overcame her. Sek-na saw her weakness and took advantage of her vulnerability. The orc pulled her into a deadly embrace, it's fangs sinking into her throat even as it's claw tore at her back. Those watching were paralysed by fear and horrified fascination. With one final burst of strength, Celyn cut Sek-na's head off and fell as the dead weight of the orc pinned her down. "No!" Legolas screamed, running forward. "No." He threw Sek-na's corpse aside as though the orc weighed nothing and pulled Celyn into her arms. Her eyes were closed and Legolas thought she was dead until he felt her chest rising against his own. Aragorn knelt at his friend's side. The ranger's stomach turned at the sight of so much blood as he stared at the gaping hole in Celyn's throat. She was going to die. They all knew it. Frodo felt horribly guilty when he saw the state that Celyn was in. "This is all my fault." He moaned, sobbing, and Celyn stirred. Her breathing came in ragged, heaving gasps and she choked as she tried to speak. "Never regret anything." She whispered, tears mixing with the blood on her face. "Life is too short. Even for me." She reached for the hobbit's hand. Frodo had never touched Celyn directly before, and as their hands met he felt a surge of power that made his skin tingle. She squeezed his hand weakly, smiling bravely. "He, it…… Sek-na did not win." "Neither did you." Gimli interjected sadly, tears dripping down his ruddy face. Celyn nodded. "Yes I did." She opened her eyes which shone brightly, a startling contrast to the chalky whiteness of her skin. "I did not give in." She had been avoiding opening her eyes, because she knew that she would not panic until she saw her own blood. It was everywhere, Legolas' shirt was soaked with it. "Legolas." She moaned his name, terrified, reaching for his hand. "I love you." She whispered, sobbing as Legolas held her tightly. "I love you too. So much." Legolas held Celyn until she went limp and for a long time after. Eventually, Aragorn gently shook his friend. "We have to go, Legolas. Those orcs are lurking nearby." Legolas nodded numbly. "Ok." He looked down at his beautiful lover and felt his heart breaking. Her pale face was serene and he knew that she was finally at peace. Aragorn watched Legolas carefully as the Elf studied the face of the one he loved. As the Elf got unsteadily to his feet, his face was set in an expression of grim determination. "Are you alright?" The ranger asked and Legolas shrugged. He lifted his head, his green eyes meeting Aragorn's grey ones and the man could see the agony in their depths. "I will live." Legolas replied and walked away sadly. Aragorn took off his cloak and used it to cover Celyn's body, before joining the others. The hobbits were sobbing quietly, child-like in their grief. Gimli was silent as tears rolled down his cheeks. Boromir was grieving in his own silent way and Aragorn did not know how to feel. "We should bury her before nightfall." Boromir said to no-one in particular, and everyone got up to help.  
  
They buried her in the spot where she and Legolas had made love, beneath the silver birch. Legolas sat on a rock beside the river and felt as though part of him had died. He had cleaned the curved blades of Celyn's knives carefully, wiping away her blood, crying as he did so. He looked around at the others and saw that they were mourning too. They had only known her six days, but she had filled an empty space in all their hearts. Pulling himself together, Legolas stood and sheathed the blades. The quest of the fellowship was nowhere near over, and he swore to himself that he would see it through until the end. He joined the seven other members of the fellowship beside the dead fire, turning his back on the battlefield. The orcs had disappeared, but Aragorn knew they would be back. Celyn's oath had been with Sek-na. Now it was dead, the orcs would have elected a new leader. They would return. They would return and there would be no mercy.  
  
Runs back into the book at the point where Boromir spooks Frodo who runs off on his own. 


End file.
